Elections and Voting Behavior. How American Elections Work Three types of elections: –Select party nominees (primary elections) –Select officeholders.

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Presentation on theme: "Elections and Voting Behavior. How American Elections Work Three types of elections: –Select party nominees (primary elections) –Select officeholders."— Presentation transcript:

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Elections and Voting Behavior

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How American Elections Work Three types of elections: –Select party nominees (primary elections) –Select officeholders (general elections) –Select options on specific policies Referendum: state-level method of direct legislation that gives voters a chance to approve proposed legislation or constitutional amendment Initiative petition: process permitted in some states whereby voters may put proposed changes in the state constitution to a vote, given a sufficient number of signatures

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A Tale of Three Elections 1800: The First Electoral Transition of Power –No primaries, no conventions, no speeches –Newspapers were very partisan. –Campaigns focused not on voters but on state legislatures who chose electors. –After many votes in the House, the office of the presidency was transferred to Jefferson peacefully.

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A Tale of Three Elections 1896: A Bitter Fight over Economic Interests –Democrats’ main issue: unlimited coinage of silver –William Jennings Bryan won the Democratic Party nomination with speeches about the virtues of silver. –McKinley won the election and the Republicans regained majority status.

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A Tale of Three Elections 2004: The Ratification of a Polarizing Presidency –George W. Bush became the fourth Republican since McKinley to win a second term. –The intensity of the election was in part due to the controversy of the 2000 election. (Bush vs. Gore) –The 2004 campaign was characterized by negative campaigning. –Leadership of the War on Terrorism and “moral values” proved to be key issues.

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Whether to Vote: A Citizen’s First Choice Suffrage: the legal right to vote –Extended to African-Americans by the Fifteenth Amendment –Extended to Women by the Nineteenth Amendment –Extended to people over 18 years of age by the Twenty-Sixth Amendment

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Whether to Vote: A Citizen’s First Choice Deciding Whether to Vote –U.S. has low voter turnout –Downs: it is rational to not vote Those who see clear differences between parties are likely to vote. If indifferent, then one may rationally abstain from voting. –Political Efficacy: the belief that one’s political participation really matters –Civic Duty: the belief that in order to support democratic government, a citizen should always vote

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Whether to Vote: A Citizen’s First Choice Registering To Vote –Voter Registration: a system adopted by the states that requires voters to register well in advance of the election day –Registration procedures differ by state. –Motor Voter Act: passed in 1993, requires states to permit people to register to vote when they apply for their driver’s license

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Whether to Vote: A Citizen’s First Choice Who Votes? –Education: More education = more likely to vote. Most important factor –Age: Older = more likely to vote –Race: Caucasian = more likely to vote. BUT, other ethnicities are higher with comparable education –Gender: Female = more likely to vote

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Whether to Vote: A Citizen’s First Choice Who Votes? (continued) –Marital Status: Married = more likely to vote –Union Membership: Union member = more likely to vote –Traits are cumulative - possessing several adds up

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How Americans Vote: Explaining Citizens’ Decisions Mandate Theory of Elections –The idea that the winning candidate has a mandate from the people to carry out his or her platforms and politics –Politicians like the theory better than political scientists do.

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How Americans Vote: Explaining Citizens’ Decisions Party Identification –People still generally vote for a party they agree with. –With the rise of candidate-centered politics, parties’ hold on voters declined in the 1960s and 1970s. –Many more voters make an individual voting decision and are up for grabs each election, (so-called floating voters).

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How Americans Vote: Explaining Citizens’ Decisions Candidate Evaluations: How Americans See the Candidates –Candidates want a good visual image. Especially on dimensions of integrity, reliability, and competence –Personality plays a role in vote choice, especially if a candidate is perceived to be incompetent or dishonest.

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How Americans Vote: Explaining Citizens’ Decisions Policy Voting –Basing your vote choice on issue preferences and where the candidates stand on policy issues –Policy voting may occur if : Voters know where they and the candidates stand on issues and see differences between candidates –Unlikely to occur because: Candidates can be ambiguous on the issues. Media tend to focus on the “horse race” not issues. –Today candidates are forced to take a clear stand in the party primaries increasing chances for policy voting.

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The Last Battle: The Electoral College Electoral college actually elects the president—founders wanted him chosen by the elite of the country States choose the electors Winner-Take-All system gives bigger emphasis to more populated states

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The Last Battle: The Electoral College How it works today: –Each state has as many votes as it does Representatives and Senators. –Winner of popular vote typically gets all the Electoral College votes for that state –Electors meet in December, votes are reported by the vice president in January –If no candidate gets a majority (270 votes), the House of Representatives votes for president, with each state casting one vote.

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Understanding Elections and Voting Behavior Democracy and Elections –The greater the policy differences between candidates, the more likely voters will be able to steer government policy by their choices. Unlikely—candidates do not always clarify issues positions –Candidates who vow to continue popular policies are more likely to win elections. –Retrospective voting: voters cast a vote based on what a candidate has done for them lately Those who feel worse off are likely to vote against incumbents. Bad economies make politicians nervous.

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Understanding Elections and Voting Behavior Elections and the Scope of Government –Elections generally support government policies and power. –Voters feel they are sending a message to government to accomplish something –Thus, the government expands to fill the needs of the voters.

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Summary Voters make two basic decisions at election time: –Whether to vote –Who to vote for Party identification, candidate evaluations, and policy positions drive vote choice. Elections are fundamental to a democracy.